Microsoft Research Design Expo

Inclusive Design & Technologies

In 2014, the World Health Organization radically revised their definition of disability. The crux of this change was to define disability as context dependent rather than as an attribute of a person. Interactions with technology are a clear example of this shift. Design solutions can create new access and new barriers for people participating in society.

Microsoft Research invited the Interface Design program to work in the theme of »Inclusive Design & Technologies« and to participate in the Design Expo 2015. Under the direction of Prof. Boris Müller, Fabian Morón Zirfas, Don Coyner, Richard Banks and Andreas Koller, the students developed six diferent approaches to the challenge. This page gives an overview to the originated projects. Please note that each project has polished website - but also a great work-in-progress documentation.

Biko is an approach on how complex information can be explored easily without a visual layer to create a better non-visual learning experience. Therefore it uses sonifications in your spatial surrounding.

Signål is an audio processing device that was inspired by the enhanced visual sense of the deaf community. It processes sounds in the vicinity through microphones and translates them into visualizations and vibrations.

Tracktile is developed for the visually impaired and blind. It is based on electronically augmented, custom-made tactile maps which allow their users to familiarise themselves with unknown surroundings in advance and to navigate them more easily and autonomously.